Yanks complete rare 5-game road sweep of rival Red Sox

BOSTON -- The New York Yankees celebrated in the dugout as if they'd just clinched a playoff berth.

In a way, they've done everything but.

Hugging and shaking hands after a demoralizing five-game sweep of the rival Red Sox, the Yankees took a season-high 6 1/2-game lead in the AL East with a 2-1 victory over Boston on Monday. The Yankees hadn't swept Boston in five games in more than half a century.

"A sweep in Boston?" winning pitcher Cory Lidle said, pausing before breaking out in a big smile. "Pretty awesome."

After outscoring the Red Sox 47-25 in four games over three days and two early mornings, the Yankees rediscovered their pitching to win the sleepy series finale at Fenway Park.

"Everything went about as wrong as it could," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said.

Lidle (2-2) pitched six shutout innings in his third -- and best -- start since coming to New York at the trading deadline along with more-heralded slugger Bobby Abreu.

With All-Star closer Mariano Rivera unavailable after pitching two innings to win Sunday night's game -- actually, it ended at 1:26 a.m. Monday -- Kyle Farnsworth pitched the ninth for his second save in six tries.

Yankees manager Joe Torre shouted in the dugout and exchanged hearty handshakes with his coaches, then hugged his players after the hard-to-believe sweep.